Raging flames and thick smoke pour from inferno at £2 million home in dramatic video

Fire crews from across West Yorkshire raced to Sandmoor Drive, Alwoodley - dubbed locally as millionaire's row - at around 7.22pm last night (Thursday, November 14) to reports of a fire at a large detached house.

Six fire engines and one aerial unit plus supporting resources and officers were in attendance dealing with the incident.

The house is believed to have stood empty since last June when the occupant died. Locals said the flames from the fire were taller than the nearby trees.

Kathleen Thompson, who lives nearby, saw the flames from three miles away and dashed to the scene to check on her property.

She said: "The police have closed the road and fire engines are still getting water from a nearby reservoir. Last night, they were going back and forth to get more and more water.

"We were in Harewood and we could see the fire from there. The house is so big, it was such a big fire, it was more like a commercial fire, the size of it.”

The entire roof of the property - believed to be around 40m x 30m in size - was destroyed within minutes of the fire taking hold.

Pictures from the scene show firefighters on an aerial appliance dousing the flames as they fought overnight to keep the blaze under control.

Crews remained on the scene this morning (Friday) to dampen down the house. No injuries were reported, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service said.

Kathleen added: "People nearby were told to shut their windows due to the smoke and the next door neighbours came back and they were looking worried.

"There are trees all around the house and it did look dangerous at one point.

"I've never seen anything like it. We got here around 8pm and the roof had completely gone by then. The flames were above the trees."

Locals said an elderly gentleman lived at the house until his death in June 2023 and the house has stood empty since then.

Land records show the house had belonged to the Rapaport family, headed up by Herbert and wife Hettie.

The family ran Herbert Rapaport Ltd, a real estate firm, from the property since 1977. However, after their son Max's death in June 2023, new directors were appointed that July.

Sandmoor Drive has seen some of the most expensive homes on the market in Leeds in recent years, with one home going for an eye-watering £3 million. Affluent homeowners protect their properties with huge electric gates, some with gold-plating, floral, gothic and classical features.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Officers have assisted with road closures and scene management and are liaising with the fire service this morning to establish the cause of the fire.”